The present invention relates to orthopedics. More particularly, the invention relates to an orthopedic device which protects the wearer from injury while participating in an athletic event.
Contact sports like football involve varying degrees of intentional contact between players, and thus often require protective pads to be positioned and located on various parts of the body to protect the player from such contact. In football, players typically wear shoulder pads and hip pads, and the like, positioned under the uniform. More recently, football players wear elbow pads, forearm pads,  and even hand pads. However there is a paucity of protective padding for the arm (humerus) of football players. Typical arm pads are constructed of a tubular member, which is formed from an elastic material, and one or more pads, which are either positioned in a sleeve provided in the tubular member or attached to the outer surface of the tubular member. The arm pad, therefore, includes a padded portion which is somewhat inflexible due to the pad, and an elastic portion which stretches to permit the wearer of the pad to put the pad on the arm and to permit the wearer to a limited degree to bend his arms. Pads that are used to protect the humerus typically either (a) do not stay in place without taping, or (2) bump into the shoulder pad when the user raises his arm above the shoulder, thus limiting the range of motion. When worn on the player's arm, the padded portion is positioned outwardly with the elastic portion facing inward toward the user's body. Because pads for the upper arm do not stay in place or because they limit the range of motion, they are not often used. When a player carries the ball, his arm (humerus) is exposed and vulnerable to contact. Although padding for the upper arm is highly desirable to protect the player, especially younger players, from blows which are normally  associated with contact sports, players often forego wearing such protective gear because the padding for the upper arm does not stay in place and needs to be taped for each practice session or game, or because the pad blocks the full range of motion of the arm; or, if they do use protective pads, they are easily misplaced, especially by younger players. Consequently, there is a need for a protective sports pad which permits the wearer to quickly position and remove the pad, does not limit the range of arm motion, stays in place until it is no longer needed, and is not easily misplaced or lost. The present invention provides such a protective pad.